Jamaican hospitals should allow patients particularly the elderly, disabled, seriously ill, non-verbal, cognitively impaired, or bedridden to have a designated family member or caregiver remain with them for extended periods, including outside normal visiting hours when appropriate.

When hospitals are experiencing staffing shortages, families who are willing and able to assist with basic non-medical care should not automatically be forced to leave their loved ones simply because visiting hours have ended.

A designated caregiver could help with appropriate tasks such as feeding, providing water when medically permitted, comforting the patient, assisting with communication, alerting staff when the patient's condition changes, and helping ensure that basic needs are brought to the attention of the healthcare team.

We are not asking family members to replace nurses, doctors or trained healthcare professionals, nor should families be expected to perform medical procedures. We are asking hospitals to recognize family caregivers as partners in patient care.

We call on the Ministry of Health & Wellness to establish a national Designated Family Caregiver Policy that allows at least one approved caregiver to remain with vulnerable patients for as long as reasonably necessary, subject only to legitimate medical, infection-control, safety, privacy or operational restrictions.

No elderly or vulnerable patient should be left without a familiar advocate simply because visiting hours are over particularly in a healthcare system already struggling with limited staff and resources.

Families who are willing to help should be allowed to help.